CAIRO: A lawyer for former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denied that the aging former dictator had spoken to el-Watan newspaper, claiming the reporter and publication fabricated an interview that claimed Mubarak said it was "too early" to judge current President Mohamed Morsi and his performance in the top job. According to Sunday's edition of El-Watan, it reported that one of its journalists had broken through security lines to speak to Mubarak on Saturday before his retrial on charges of complicity in the death of protesters killed in the uprising that swept him from office. The paper, which is fiercely critical of Mursi and his backers in the Muslim Brotherhood, splashed the story on its front page, billing it as Mubarak's first comments to the media since he was toppled in 2011. Lawyer Farid el-Deeb said he had sent Mubarak, 85, a message asking if the interview with the reporter had happened. "He sent me a message saying this didn't happen," he said. "All of it is incorrect … Mubarak did not meet with him or sit with him or any of this." El-Watan said its journalist had spoken to Mubarak in a side room at the court where his retrial began on Saturday. It quoted the deposed leader as saying it was too early to judge Morsi and expressing concern about the economy and lax security in Egypt, which he ruled for 30 years. Deeb said the remarks appeared to be based on comments that he himself had made to the media. It highlights the ongoing tension and mistrust of the media in Egypt, where denying that interviews took place is commonplace across the political and social spectrum. BN
